Based on the reviews in Rick's book and on Tripadvisor we are looking at either Hotel Lancelot or Hotel Paba for our first visit to Rome this April. Lancelot seems to be about 45 euros more, but the public spaces and chance to meet and talk to people seem like a plus. But then again, 45 euros is real money. Thoughts?
Posted by
Washington, DC
888 posts
During our first time in cities, we rarely had time to spend at our hotel. We would leave at around 9am and not get back until after dinner, so the opportunity to speak to others was rare anyways. Are you looking to spend that much time at your hotel? Does your itinerary have you coming back for extended amounts of time to the hotel? I'm not familiar with either hotel, but opportunity to speak to others for extended amounts of time was not something that happened for us, but your situation may be different.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
Haven't used either but on the surface I would choice Paba simply because it is closer to the center of old Rome. But it is in a busy area. We normal stay in the Termini simply for the convenience to public transit and walking distance to Termini.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
1317 posts
We stayed in Paba back in Nov 2008. I would recommend it, as long as you are able to handle hard beds. They were among the hardest I've slept on in Europe. No, there wasn't any public space, but we found it was quite nice to have breakfast in our room and then head out for a big day of sight-seeing. As we are pretty early risers, and rarely returned to the hotel until late, it's quite unlikely we would've ran into anyone to talk to anyway, and the ladies running the Hotel Paba are very helpful if you need advice. We thought the location was pretty good. The Colosseum is visible around the corner (although a bit of a walk away) and there is a metro stop about 5 minutes up the street, along with bus stops nearby. For me at least, the possibility of talking to fellow travelers certainly wouldn't outweigh 45 euro, which pays for a nice dinner.
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1003 posts
If the Lancelot is even further from the Center then I would stay at the Paba. It's certainly fine, comfortable, friendly, etc. But for me that was too far from the center and on my next trip I am staying even closer to the Navona/Pantheon area, so I can't really imagine being even further. If you really want to meet people you can meet people at restaurants, sights, etc.
Posted by
OP
Kennett Square
2 posts
Thanks everybody. Booked the Paba! Was leaning that way. Points on location very helpful.
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1003 posts
The good thing about the Paba is that it is very close to a couple of Metro stops and several big bus routes. I'm sure you'll enjoy it :)